Time to chill: Storm closes roads, stalls travel across region
Snow and steady winds created difficult driving conditions in the Jamestown area Sunday afternoon and evening.By: Chris Olson, The Jamestown Sun, The Jamestown Sun
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Snow and steady winds created difficult driving conditions in the Jamestown area Sunday afternoon and evening.
The National Weather Service office issued a blizzard warning for Jamestown and most of southeast North Dakota that remains in effect until noon today. As of Sunday evening, about 2 to 3 inches of snow had fallen in the area. Winds blowing steady out of the north were at 25 mph and gusting to 35, making driving conditions deteriorate enough that the North Dakota Department of Transportation closed Interstate 94 from Jamestown to Fargo at about 6 p.m. Sunday.
I-94 was also closed from Moorhead to Alexandria in Minnesota and Interstate 29 was closed from Grand Forks all the way south to Watertown, S.D. The University of North Dakota hockey team and many fans on their way back from a series of games in Omaha, Neb., were left stuck in South Dakota when I-29 closed, according to Forum News Service reports.
The storm caused numerous cancellations and postponements throughout the region. Jamestown Public Schools facilities were scheduled to open two hours late today. More than 550 cancellations and postponements were posted Sunday evening using the severe weather announcement page on to Forum Communications’ websites.
The Jamestown Police Department responded to two accidents Sunday afternoon, Cpl. Bob Schlemvogt said. The first occurred around 8:30 a.m. when a car slid into a stop sign at the intersection of Fourth Street and Fifth Avenue Northeast. The second was a two-vehicle crash near mile marker 238 on westbound I-94. No one was injured in either accident.
Schlemvogt said people were staying off the roads for the most part Sunday morning and afternoon.
“We are seeing more traffic as the day goes on,” he said. He urged people to stay off the roads unless there is an emergency.
The weather and I-94 closure caused delivery of this issue of The Sun, which is printed in West Fargo, N.D., to be delayed.
WDAY Meteorologist John Wheeler said the snow would continue through today.
“It will continue until late Sunday, then will diminish through Monday morning,” Wheeler said.
The winds will remain strong through Sunday night into early Monday morning and die down in the afternoon, he said.
The NWS forecast for Sunday night called for another 1 to 2 inches of snow possible overnight, with a low around 15 degrees. The winds will remain strong from the northwest at 24 to 30 mph with gusts up to 39 mph through the night.
For today, conditions should improve as the day is forecast to start cloudy then become mostly sunny with a high near 18. The winds will start blustery from the northwest at 19 to 24 mph, then diminish to 13 to 18 mph by the afternoon.
Sun reporter Chris Olson can be reached at 701-952-8454 or by email at colson@jamestownsun.com
Tags: local news, news, snow, weather, local
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